Trojans win Region 4 and send 13 to state

Trojans win Region 4 and send 13 to state

Steve Henry is fond of saying that Region 4 is the state's toughest, and the Soddy-Daisy coach has the runners-up to prove it.

The Trojans claimed five championships and the team title in the state qualifier they hosted Friday and Saturday, and they're taking 13 wrestlers to the state tournament that begins Thursday at the Williamson County Agricultural Expo in Franklin.

Their positioning, though, isn't as good as Henry would have liked. It was that kind of weekend for a number of schools, as only seven No. 1 seeds met expectations.

"I'm fine. I'm not distraught," Henry said. "This is a tough region. That's what a lot of people tend to forget. Our kids did a great job. In the finals you have to put it on the line, and we probably could have done a better job with that."

Part of Soddy-Daisy's problem was Notre Dame, which took three individual titles in four head-to-head finals matches with the Trojans. Those Irish winners were Packy Mullin (120), Jack Boone (126) and Grayson Mullin (145). Boone and Grayson Mullin went into overtime to get their wins.

"We had a good Saturday and won some exciting matches when it could have been one of those sessions that went either way," Notre Dame coach John Mullin said. "I'm really proud of our guys. They've continued to get better all year."

While he was disappointed with but nowhere near devastated by the number of champions, Henry waxed philosophical, agreeing that the strength of the region should come back to help his team next week.

"It's something we'll stress. This is a tournament that sharpens your skills," he said.

Chris Palacio, the top-seeded wrestler upset in the quarterfinals Friday, rebounded to finish third and pinned his way through four consolation matches.

Another upset victim -- and there were nine losers in the championship semifinals who didn't get one of the four qualifying spots per weight class -- was Ooltewah's Jay Rudwall. The senior 220-pounder entered the tournament with a 27-1 record. After his Friday semifinal loss to Red Bank's Paul Horne, Rudwall rallied to finish third by pinning Horne.